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i_read_whatI think I've mentioned this before, but the structure of A Pride of Princes is actually a bit different from the preceding books. Where before we only had one main protagonist, in this book, we have three. All three of Niall's sons share narrative prominence. Keely, of course, gets her own book. And Maeve gets fucking nothing. But that's a rant for a later date.
Anyway, how this works is that the book is divided into parts. Part One was our introduction, and each brother has a subsequent "Part" that represents their own individual storyline. The last "Part" will draw elements of each into a conclusion.
I bring this up now because we're reaching the end of Brennan's "part". Next week, we'll move onto Hart.
This one gets a content warning...retroactively.
So we resume the story with Teirnan and Brennan in the throne room of the palace. Niall had apparently followed through with his intent to bring their wayward cousin into the fold. I'm not sure that Teirnan got the right message with this though:
Teirnan threw himself down in the Lion Throne. He grinned, caressing the ancient wood, then laughed aloud in joyous exultation. "Do you know how long I have wanted to do this? Can you guess?"
Brennan, who did not particularly care, merely shook his head.
"For as long as I can remember." Still Teirnan stroked the clawed armrests, glorying in the texture of age-polished oak. "Since my jehan first told me I was kin to the House of Homana."
As we saw before, Teirnan is open, blatant and shameless about his intent for the Throne. Though his logic is still a little dodgy.
Teirnan luxuriated in the throne, sitting back so that his head was shadowed by the gaping lion's mouth. "There was no subtlety at all, cousin. I am the son of dead Isolde, rujholla to the Mujhar ... my blood cries out for the Lion."
Brennan, arms folded, paced slowly to the dais and climbed it, posting himself directly before the throne.
"There are no a'saii, are there? Only you. And Ceinn, of course—but I think Ceinn's teeth were pulled many years ago, when my jehan named him shu'maii in his Ceremony of Honors."
Teirnan's hands clenched the claws of the Lion. "I have as much right to it as you."
"Do you?"
"My blood hearkens back to the days of the Old Mujhars, the Cheysuli Mujhars, who had no need to marry unblessed foreigners in order to secure Homana. It was ours already, given us by the gods themselves."
I have to compliment Roberson here, because there's a lovely, subtle difference in the way Teirnan is portrayed here than in his first scene in this book. It's not in Teirnan himself. Teirnan is still the same vainglorious blowhard who is completely and deliberately ignorant of any modern civics or common sense. The difference is in Brennan's response to him.
Because Teirnan's full of shit and obviously so. There are no a'saii. At least not in substantial numbers, and why would there be? Ceinn's basic means of attack against Niall was that he wasn't Cheysuli enough. That crumbled as soon as Niall brought back a lir. Brennan's also got a lir (and the looks to boot). Niall's ruled his land peacefully for twenty years, accepted by Homanans and Cheysuli alike. And while Brennan can personally speak of the dangers of racist Homanan terrorists, it's not like Teirnan would be a better option for them.
Teirnan is no threat and no danger (provided he's kept away from poor Maeve, at least.)
Brennan's response is a bit of a Roberson non-sequitur, but it actually works in this context, because it comes across as Brennan not bothering to debate this nonsense, but instead giving Teirnan something new to think about:
"And the Ihlini?" Brennan shrugged as Teirnan broke off to stare at him in shock. "I do not deny that through Ceinn your blood is purer than mine . . . that because of Ceinn, you count some of the oldest and cleanest blood in your heritage." He tipped his head to one side in a brief gesture of idle acknowledgment. "After all, even your jehana—kin to the Mujhar himself—had decidedly mixed blood, while yours is admittedly less so.” Brennan was motionless, holding him with the understated gentleness of his tone. "But if you wish to sit here and prate about it how you are improved by such purity, recall that it was precisely because certain clans refused to marry out that this dynastic manipulation became necessary. This realm to that realm, this warrior to that woman . . ." He shook his head. "Perhaps you should also consider that it becomes more and more likely we are bloodkin to the Ihlini."
Teirnan is shocked and accuses Brennan of heresy.
Brennan's clearly been thinking about this a lot. He's got evidence:
"Look at the lir,” Brennan said. "Will they attack the Ihlini? No—even though they will do their best to destroy anyone else who means us harm. Will they tell us why? No—all they ever say is that they follow the law of the gods." He drew in a breath, understanding things more clearly himself even as he spoke. "It does seem entirely possible, cousin, that the reason that law exists is to keep children from slaying children—"
"Children—?"
"The children of the gods." Brennan exhaled slowly, "I find it hard to believe the gods would give their children the weapons with which they might kill one another when what their parents desire is for them to live in accord."
"But Ihlini kill Cheysuli!"
"And Cheysuli kill Ihlini." Brennan drew in a breath of dull acknowledgment, understanding it at last. "But without benefit of the lir. Without benefit of a full complement of powers ... so that the battles are battles of men, and not the get of the gods, who have more power than perhaps they should to live in a world of men."
(It doesn't really explain why Ihlini are able to use their powers against the Cheysuli, but maybe that's connected to the pact with their dark god. Without the Seker, perhaps normal Ihlini would be subject to the same restriction. Heck, maybe that's why they made that pact to begin with...)
Brennan points out the prophecy: they're supposed to merge bloodlines and unite enemies. They know what the four warring realms are: Homana, Solinde, Atvia and Erinn. So who are the two magic races?
Teirnan's face was gray. "May the gods strike you down!"
"Why?" Brennan asked. "It was the gods who gave us the prophecy."
Brennan's clearly thought about this a lot. As has Niall, from the sound of it:
"Teir," Brennan said with abiding patience, "I do not advocate we go to Strahan with words of peace in our mouths. But I think perhaps my jehan has the right of it: the time is come for the Cheysuli to begin acknowledging all Ihlini are not dedicated to Asar-Suti. There are those who serve themselves because they believe in peaceful unification as much as our prophecy demands it."
"Unification," Teiman echoed.
"Blood merged with blood," Brennan told him. "And a chance for lasting peace."
This is an important section I think, for the second half of the Chronicles of the Cheysuli, because the prophecy is going to be center stage. The Cheysuli protagonists from this point on pretty much exist to suffer, and it helps to understand why these characters are willing to enter into what amounts to be an abusive relationship with this damn thing. What are they trying for?
Is it actually a good idea to bring back a long dead race of demigods?
That part isn't really answered, but here we get the sense that for Brennan at least, the "Firstborn" part is important more for what it represents:
Teirnan looked at the Lion. He touched it again, exploring it with his fingers. His face was immobile in its intensity, the angles hard as stone. "What will happen when the prophecy is fulfilled?"
Brennan frowned; Teirnan was leading up to something. "Peace. Cohabitation. The Firstborn will live again."
And it's really interesting that this is coming from the character that was just abducted and tortured by his uncle's Ihlini child. The one he killed in self defense. Brennan's conception of an ideal world has room for his enemies as well.
Teirnan has a different take, and it's interesting how similar it is to our Ihlini adversaries:
"And what of us?" His cousin asked intently. "What of the Cheysuli, who do have weaknesses?"
"Teir—"
"Blood merged with blood, until the new overtakes the old. Do you see what will happen? There will be no more need for us!"
This leads to the oft-cited fear of the Cheysuli losing their lir. And I'm STILL not sure where that idea actually comes from, since there's no indication of it in the text of the prophecies that we saw. And that leads to:
But Teirnan shook his head and stepped abruptly away from the throne. "I renounce it."
After momentary astonishment, Brennan opened his mouth to compliment his cousin on recovering his senses, but said nothing as Teirnan spoke again.
"I renounce it. I renounce you. I renounce anything to do with the House of Homana, even Maeve."
(We're told that the Maeve issue was resolved off screen: she's acknowledged her vow, but that was before she knew of his ambition, and she has no intention of honoring it. Pretty much everything involving poor Maeve happens off screen. This isn't the most egregious part, sadly.)
So, Teirnan is renouncing the prophecy. It's an idea that I was hoping to see: Cheysuli who also don't think this bullshit is a good idea. I'm just sad/annoyed that our example is fucking Teirnan. God forbid we see this idea in a character like Niall or Brennan, someone capable of THOUGHT. There are plenty of reasonable and logical reasons to not be on board.
Brennan is horrified, because Teirnan renouncing the prophecy means that he's renouncing everything Cheysuli. Including their afterlife.
So we theoretically get a "nice job breaking it, hero" moment, as Teirnan thanks Brennan for explaining things frankly and inspiring him to reject a prophecy that will "insure the destruction of [their] race". He thinks Ceinn will come with him, too.
Brennan is shocked by the idea that Teirnan will divide the clans, but really? I don't see how this will be any more persuasive than any of Teirnan's other nonsense is. The prophecy is well known. What the hell did they THINK "the lion shall lie down with the witch" MEANT? That said, Brennan also is pretty worried that a conflict with Teirnan will end up with him being a kin-slayer twice over. That seems a bit extreme, as so far, Teirnan's been only bluster. But Ceinn did almost drive Niall to suicide, so I guess we'll see.
Well, anyway, we skip to Brennan telling Niall what happened, and Niall is surprisingly vehement here:
Brennan did, over the Mujhar's evening meal, which Niall took alone in his private solar; Deirdre was otherwise occupied. His father pushed aside his platter of unfinished food so sharply his knife rattled against the silver. "I cannot believe you were so foolish as to incite Teir to such idiocy! You know what he is like."
Apparently this is a bigger threat then Teirnan just wanting to overthrow Niall or Brennan. I'm not sure I get it. Well, maybe I do. Our lead characters are, in their own way, as much religious fanatics as their enemies. And it's always dangerous, in a religious fanatic's eyes, for people to realize they have options.
I'm not sure why Niall intends to do about it, but he orders Brennan to go to Clankeep now, tonight, to see if he can repair the damage.
...how?
Niall himself intends to go the next day, so he can talk to the clan-leader and shar tahl about this. He gets weirdly dictatorial about this:
Belatedly, Brennan also rose. He was grateful they were alone so no one else could see his frustration. "Teir will do nothing tonight. Why not let me go with you in the morning?"
"Because I have told you to go now."
I mean...okay. I guess this line of dialogue clarifies Niall's position a bit more:
"Even kings must take responsibility for the consequences of their own actions," Naill said as Brennan opened the door. "Begin now, and it will be that much easier when you are Mujhar."
Still, this seems a bit much. Sleeta also seems oddly annoyed with Brennan. But it's not like the lir have anything useful to say, so there we go.
Anyway, Brennan rides out to Clankeep. But soon, he's not alone:
He was at the border dividing meadowlands from forest when Rhiannon caught up to him. After the first short gallop across the plains to work out frustrations and Bane's bad temper, Brennan had slowed the stallion to a walk. Rhiannon clearly had kept her mount at a run; the bay mare was lathered with sweat.
Hi Rhiannon. I'm not sure how long this is supposed to be after the last chapter. She says that she called after him to wait, but he didn't hear her. Which reminds me of the last chapter. It seems like that kind of thing happens a lot.
He urges her to dismount so they can walk her horse. And well, it looks like they've been continuing with their relationship after all:
"Do you mind?" she asked as he released her. "I wanted to be with you. So often I must spend all my time with Deirdre or the ladies, when I would rather be with you."
He felt a twinge of guilt. It was no secret that Rhiannon shared his bed, yet the Mujhar held his silence, Brennan had no doubt Niall knew, but perhaps he knew also that repeated reminders of Aileen's imminent arrival would merely promote discord.
Yeah, that's probably going to be a problem, dude.
At least Rhiannon KNOWS that, but just because she's okay with the situation now doesn't mean that this is going to last.
He tells her that he's going to Clankeep to try to settle things with Teir. Rhiannon thinks Teir is a fool: Maeve loves him, and if he has sense, he'd try to get Niall's favor so he can marry her.
Ew, Maeve, no. You can do better.
Anyway, Rhiannon's got another reason for coming: they've received news that Aileen's ship has sailed from Erinn.
Ah, yeah. Awkward. Neither Brennan nor Rhiannon have any real illusions about their relationship. He's been pretty open about the engagement the whole time, as we've seen. His is a "cradle-betrothal" meant for political advantage. (Or Niall making up for banging their princess.)
It's sad, of course, but in that respect, as a peasant girl, Rhiannon doesn't really bring anything to the table.
Oh dear.
One hand was splayed across her belly. "Nothing but this child."
Well, this will complicate matters.
Actually, it will in more ways than one:
"Are you certain?"
"Quite certain, my lord." Rhiannon's smile was odd. "Does it please you?"
"How not?" He was astonished that she could ask it. "A child, Rhiannon . . . how could I not be pleased?"
"A bastard, my lord."
"Do you think I care about that? A child is a child."
Rhiannon laughed. "And an Ihlini-Cheysuli child? What do you say-to that?"
His fingers locked in the folds of her woolen mantle.
"Ihlini-"
One cool hand was a shackle on his wrist, clinging, pressing, squeezing, until the flesh began to protest.
"Ihlini," she said distinctly, "Ihlini and Cheysuti. Why else do you think I wanted you?—why I made you want me?"
...
Well, now. This is a reveal almost as good as Strahan's.
It does contradict the segment we have from Rhiannon's point of view early on, which is a pet peeve. Unreliable narrators are one thing, but I don't like when it outright LIES to you. But that said, this is pretty great.
And fucked up:
She was a woman, and weaker than he; angrily Brennan tried to break her grip, twisting sharply; to shock and dismay he found he could not. Because even as he moved, thinking to thrust her violently away, he felt the explosion of pain through the link.
Sleeta was nearly incoherent. Lir—lir—lir—
Even as Brennan tried to twist free again, meaning to run toward the source of Sleeta's anguish, Rhiannon prevented him. With one hand only, fingers spread rigidly against his breastbone, she coolly forced him off the track and against the nearest tree. "Back," she said only, supremely indifferent to his aborted bid for escape.
So Rhiannon slams him into a tree. Sleeta's being subdued by Rhiannon's servants. (We don't get any information about them, but maybe they were part of the group with Jarek.)
...oh, right, Jarek...
"Strahan wants you alive."
"Strahan—" He nearly gaped. "This is Strahan's doing?"
"Strahan's suggestion. My doing." Rhiannon smiled and reached up to caress his face even as he tried to jerk away. "It could have been worse, Brennan. Much worse. Seduction is better than force."
His lips peeled back from his teeth in an instinctive expression of feral disgust. He thought he might be ill.
"Lillith believed I could not do it," Rhiannon said quietly. "She feared I was too young, even by human standards. But then my mother forgets that Ihlini women are born to seduction as Cheysuli are born to the lir."
His muscles spasmed beneath her hand. "Lillith—"
"—is my mother. My jehana, you would say. As Ian is my jehan." Rhiannon laughed softly. "We are cousins, you and I—in addition to being bedmates."
This was still pretty non-consensual, lady. Congratulations, Brennan, you and Ian have something else to talk about.
Also, thank you for having Ian flirt with his own daughter, Roberson. Ick.
Jarek was not Lillith's child, of course. Apparently, the masquerade had been Lillith's idea, as a twisted gift for her rape victim. Rhiannon did like making Brennan think he was a kinslayer as it made him more vulnerable to her.
Also, just in case things haven't gotten retroactively rapey enough:
He manged to laugh, albeit was little more than an impotent bark of sound. "You forget; I am Cheysuli. Your sorcery will not work."
"You forget, my lord—I am Cheysuli also." She smiled.
"Ask why Sleeta did not know me. Ask why I hold you so easily. Look into your mind and find the link I have forged through careful and subtle means, all done in the throes of passion, when you would not notice my intrusion."
And fuck. Kudos to Roberson. She found a way to make her weird story inconsistencies actually make sense. The odd uncharacteristic jealousy, for example, that I thought was clumsiness.
Tangential note, you may have noticed, in Song of Homana, that it took me a while to criticize Carillon's obsession with Electra to the extent I should have. And the reason was that I'd misremembered this plot point as having been between Electra and Carillon instead of Rhiannon and Brennan. I was right about a villainess mentally influencing the hero into obsession with her, but wrong about which one.
So Carillon's not a magical rape victim, Brennan is. Congrats...?
Oh, but here's a funny bit where we see that Roberson actually hasn't done the math:
"No. Not yet. But closer. Closer even than you. Because in the end, it will be the blood of our child—of Ihlini-Cheysuli children—who will hold dominance in Homana. Dominance in the world."
See, here's the funny catch to this. Remember when I did the math for the heredity in Track of the White Wolf?
Brennan, per that calculation, would be: 3/8 Cheysuli, 1/4 Atvian, 1/8 Solindish, 3/16 Homanan, and 1/16 Erinnish.
Rhiannon, as Ian's daughter, would be: 1/2 Ihlini, 5/16 Cheysuli, 5/32 Homanan, and 1/32 Erinnish.
That means that Brennan and Rhiannon's child?
1/4 Ihlini, 11/32 Cheysuli, 1/8 Atvian, 1/16 Solindish, 11/64 Homanan, and 3/64 Erinnish.
That is all the fucking bloodlines. That kid should be a fucking Firstborn.
However, because Roberson forgot that Alix had an Erinnish grandmother, the kid will not be, and we're going to have two more generations of fucked up fantasy genetics to get there. (And it's actually redundant there too, as the son of double first cousins, Kellan basically has the exact same ethnic fraction makeup as Aidan will.
I suppose we could attribute it to the Erinnish amount not being high enough, but honestly, this kid has more Erinnish than Kellan will have Solindish... So...
Eh, well, magic, I guess. But it is kind of funny to think about how the villains would have already won if they could only do math.
So back to Brennan and Rhiannon, who may well be the single most efficient villain this series ever had. Or tied with Lillith at least. Ihlini women get shit done. And by shit, I mean they rape people really really efficiently... Hm...
Probably not something to boast about.
Rhiannon unhooked the silver chain that had replaced the ring's original leather thong. And though he tried to twist his head away, she clasped it around his neck. The chain was ice against his throat.
One last time—
"Brennan." Calmly she interrupted his futile attempt at lir-shape. "I do not love you, but neither do I hate you. What I do, I do to serve my race, as much as you serve yours. We are kin, close kin, and I have no wish to spill your blood; I share more than a measure of it. Ian is in us both." She caught his hands and linked her fingers with his, even against his will. "But we cannot control the Firstborn unless we make our own."
"Ihlini—" He writhed against the tree.
Rhiannon kissed him. And then the world was gone.
And thus, the chapter ends.
--
There is an Interlude though. Quite short.
This is Rhiannon's bit, as she rejoins her mother and uncle. Lillith, for all her faults, actually seems to be a halfway concerned parent.
Lillith smiled. In her daughter she saw herself, and took pride in the girl's loyalty as well as her loveliness.
"How soon will the child be born?"
"Seven months. Brennan was—most accommodating."
"And you?"
"I?"
"You are young," Lillith said kindly. "Cheysuli and Ihlini are bloodkin, born of the same gods, and meant to be together. It is understandable if this was—difficult, There is no shame in wishing it could be another way."
Well, for a scary rapist wizard, I guess. She and Rhiannon bond a bit on what it's like to rape Cheysuli men.
Rhiannon lifted her delicate chin. "Was it difficult for you, when you seduced my father? Was it hard to break that immense Cheysuli pride?"
"Ian's pride was never broken," Liltith answered. "He may have thought so, but it was lirlessness he felt, nothing more." She paused. "When you speak of breaking pride, remember that what is theirs is also ours."
"They will never accept it," Rhiannon said. "Never will they accept us as anything more than enemies."
"Good," Strahan said coolly. "If the day ever comes that an Ihlini and a completed Cheysuli lie down together willingly, the Seker is defeated. The gate will be sealed forever, and the Firstborn shall rule the world. We will no longer exist."
Yeah, I feel like this is meant to be an ass pull justification, but the problem is, Brennan actually IS a "completed Cheysuli" by that definition: Homanan, Solindish, Atvian and Erinnish. So, yeah. That kid is the firstborn. Congratulations, dudes. You just never noticed because no one has an ancestry.com subscription and the ability to add fractions.
So what IS the villain's plan now?
"The prophecy is a true one, Rhiannon, The Cheysuli weave it like a tapestry, and the pattern is nearly completed. But we can still alter it. We can tear away the brightest yarns, as we have torn away Brennan, and use them to fashion another."
which means...
"What will you do to him?" Rhiannon asked.
"Break him," Strahan answered. "Then mend him most carefully."
"How?" she asked intently.
Strahan's eyes narrowed. "Have you a suggestion?"
Rhiannon's laughter echoed amidst the columns and set the glassy strings to thrumming. "Lock him away," she said. "Lock him away in a small stone place . . . with no light, no lir, and no hope at all for escape."
Oof. Well. Let's find out what the other boys are up to?
Anyway, how this works is that the book is divided into parts. Part One was our introduction, and each brother has a subsequent "Part" that represents their own individual storyline. The last "Part" will draw elements of each into a conclusion.
I bring this up now because we're reaching the end of Brennan's "part". Next week, we'll move onto Hart.
This one gets a content warning...retroactively.
So we resume the story with Teirnan and Brennan in the throne room of the palace. Niall had apparently followed through with his intent to bring their wayward cousin into the fold. I'm not sure that Teirnan got the right message with this though:
Teirnan threw himself down in the Lion Throne. He grinned, caressing the ancient wood, then laughed aloud in joyous exultation. "Do you know how long I have wanted to do this? Can you guess?"
Brennan, who did not particularly care, merely shook his head.
"For as long as I can remember." Still Teirnan stroked the clawed armrests, glorying in the texture of age-polished oak. "Since my jehan first told me I was kin to the House of Homana."
As we saw before, Teirnan is open, blatant and shameless about his intent for the Throne. Though his logic is still a little dodgy.
Teirnan luxuriated in the throne, sitting back so that his head was shadowed by the gaping lion's mouth. "There was no subtlety at all, cousin. I am the son of dead Isolde, rujholla to the Mujhar ... my blood cries out for the Lion."
Brennan, arms folded, paced slowly to the dais and climbed it, posting himself directly before the throne.
"There are no a'saii, are there? Only you. And Ceinn, of course—but I think Ceinn's teeth were pulled many years ago, when my jehan named him shu'maii in his Ceremony of Honors."
Teirnan's hands clenched the claws of the Lion. "I have as much right to it as you."
"Do you?"
"My blood hearkens back to the days of the Old Mujhars, the Cheysuli Mujhars, who had no need to marry unblessed foreigners in order to secure Homana. It was ours already, given us by the gods themselves."
I have to compliment Roberson here, because there's a lovely, subtle difference in the way Teirnan is portrayed here than in his first scene in this book. It's not in Teirnan himself. Teirnan is still the same vainglorious blowhard who is completely and deliberately ignorant of any modern civics or common sense. The difference is in Brennan's response to him.
Because Teirnan's full of shit and obviously so. There are no a'saii. At least not in substantial numbers, and why would there be? Ceinn's basic means of attack against Niall was that he wasn't Cheysuli enough. That crumbled as soon as Niall brought back a lir. Brennan's also got a lir (and the looks to boot). Niall's ruled his land peacefully for twenty years, accepted by Homanans and Cheysuli alike. And while Brennan can personally speak of the dangers of racist Homanan terrorists, it's not like Teirnan would be a better option for them.
Teirnan is no threat and no danger (provided he's kept away from poor Maeve, at least.)
Brennan's response is a bit of a Roberson non-sequitur, but it actually works in this context, because it comes across as Brennan not bothering to debate this nonsense, but instead giving Teirnan something new to think about:
"And the Ihlini?" Brennan shrugged as Teirnan broke off to stare at him in shock. "I do not deny that through Ceinn your blood is purer than mine . . . that because of Ceinn, you count some of the oldest and cleanest blood in your heritage." He tipped his head to one side in a brief gesture of idle acknowledgment. "After all, even your jehana—kin to the Mujhar himself—had decidedly mixed blood, while yours is admittedly less so.” Brennan was motionless, holding him with the understated gentleness of his tone. "But if you wish to sit here and prate about it how you are improved by such purity, recall that it was precisely because certain clans refused to marry out that this dynastic manipulation became necessary. This realm to that realm, this warrior to that woman . . ." He shook his head. "Perhaps you should also consider that it becomes more and more likely we are bloodkin to the Ihlini."
Teirnan is shocked and accuses Brennan of heresy.
Brennan's clearly been thinking about this a lot. He's got evidence:
"Look at the lir,” Brennan said. "Will they attack the Ihlini? No—even though they will do their best to destroy anyone else who means us harm. Will they tell us why? No—all they ever say is that they follow the law of the gods." He drew in a breath, understanding things more clearly himself even as he spoke. "It does seem entirely possible, cousin, that the reason that law exists is to keep children from slaying children—"
"Children—?"
"The children of the gods." Brennan exhaled slowly, "I find it hard to believe the gods would give their children the weapons with which they might kill one another when what their parents desire is for them to live in accord."
"But Ihlini kill Cheysuli!"
"And Cheysuli kill Ihlini." Brennan drew in a breath of dull acknowledgment, understanding it at last. "But without benefit of the lir. Without benefit of a full complement of powers ... so that the battles are battles of men, and not the get of the gods, who have more power than perhaps they should to live in a world of men."
(It doesn't really explain why Ihlini are able to use their powers against the Cheysuli, but maybe that's connected to the pact with their dark god. Without the Seker, perhaps normal Ihlini would be subject to the same restriction. Heck, maybe that's why they made that pact to begin with...)
Brennan points out the prophecy: they're supposed to merge bloodlines and unite enemies. They know what the four warring realms are: Homana, Solinde, Atvia and Erinn. So who are the two magic races?
Teirnan's face was gray. "May the gods strike you down!"
"Why?" Brennan asked. "It was the gods who gave us the prophecy."
Brennan's clearly thought about this a lot. As has Niall, from the sound of it:
"Teir," Brennan said with abiding patience, "I do not advocate we go to Strahan with words of peace in our mouths. But I think perhaps my jehan has the right of it: the time is come for the Cheysuli to begin acknowledging all Ihlini are not dedicated to Asar-Suti. There are those who serve themselves because they believe in peaceful unification as much as our prophecy demands it."
"Unification," Teiman echoed.
"Blood merged with blood," Brennan told him. "And a chance for lasting peace."
This is an important section I think, for the second half of the Chronicles of the Cheysuli, because the prophecy is going to be center stage. The Cheysuli protagonists from this point on pretty much exist to suffer, and it helps to understand why these characters are willing to enter into what amounts to be an abusive relationship with this damn thing. What are they trying for?
Is it actually a good idea to bring back a long dead race of demigods?
That part isn't really answered, but here we get the sense that for Brennan at least, the "Firstborn" part is important more for what it represents:
Teirnan looked at the Lion. He touched it again, exploring it with his fingers. His face was immobile in its intensity, the angles hard as stone. "What will happen when the prophecy is fulfilled?"
Brennan frowned; Teirnan was leading up to something. "Peace. Cohabitation. The Firstborn will live again."
And it's really interesting that this is coming from the character that was just abducted and tortured by his uncle's Ihlini child. The one he killed in self defense. Brennan's conception of an ideal world has room for his enemies as well.
Teirnan has a different take, and it's interesting how similar it is to our Ihlini adversaries:
"And what of us?" His cousin asked intently. "What of the Cheysuli, who do have weaknesses?"
"Teir—"
"Blood merged with blood, until the new overtakes the old. Do you see what will happen? There will be no more need for us!"
This leads to the oft-cited fear of the Cheysuli losing their lir. And I'm STILL not sure where that idea actually comes from, since there's no indication of it in the text of the prophecies that we saw. And that leads to:
But Teirnan shook his head and stepped abruptly away from the throne. "I renounce it."
After momentary astonishment, Brennan opened his mouth to compliment his cousin on recovering his senses, but said nothing as Teirnan spoke again.
"I renounce it. I renounce you. I renounce anything to do with the House of Homana, even Maeve."
(We're told that the Maeve issue was resolved off screen: she's acknowledged her vow, but that was before she knew of his ambition, and she has no intention of honoring it. Pretty much everything involving poor Maeve happens off screen. This isn't the most egregious part, sadly.)
So, Teirnan is renouncing the prophecy. It's an idea that I was hoping to see: Cheysuli who also don't think this bullshit is a good idea. I'm just sad/annoyed that our example is fucking Teirnan. God forbid we see this idea in a character like Niall or Brennan, someone capable of THOUGHT. There are plenty of reasonable and logical reasons to not be on board.
Brennan is horrified, because Teirnan renouncing the prophecy means that he's renouncing everything Cheysuli. Including their afterlife.
So we theoretically get a "nice job breaking it, hero" moment, as Teirnan thanks Brennan for explaining things frankly and inspiring him to reject a prophecy that will "insure the destruction of [their] race". He thinks Ceinn will come with him, too.
Brennan is shocked by the idea that Teirnan will divide the clans, but really? I don't see how this will be any more persuasive than any of Teirnan's other nonsense is. The prophecy is well known. What the hell did they THINK "the lion shall lie down with the witch" MEANT? That said, Brennan also is pretty worried that a conflict with Teirnan will end up with him being a kin-slayer twice over. That seems a bit extreme, as so far, Teirnan's been only bluster. But Ceinn did almost drive Niall to suicide, so I guess we'll see.
Well, anyway, we skip to Brennan telling Niall what happened, and Niall is surprisingly vehement here:
Brennan did, over the Mujhar's evening meal, which Niall took alone in his private solar; Deirdre was otherwise occupied. His father pushed aside his platter of unfinished food so sharply his knife rattled against the silver. "I cannot believe you were so foolish as to incite Teir to such idiocy! You know what he is like."
Apparently this is a bigger threat then Teirnan just wanting to overthrow Niall or Brennan. I'm not sure I get it. Well, maybe I do. Our lead characters are, in their own way, as much religious fanatics as their enemies. And it's always dangerous, in a religious fanatic's eyes, for people to realize they have options.
I'm not sure why Niall intends to do about it, but he orders Brennan to go to Clankeep now, tonight, to see if he can repair the damage.
...how?
Niall himself intends to go the next day, so he can talk to the clan-leader and shar tahl about this. He gets weirdly dictatorial about this:
Belatedly, Brennan also rose. He was grateful they were alone so no one else could see his frustration. "Teir will do nothing tonight. Why not let me go with you in the morning?"
"Because I have told you to go now."
I mean...okay. I guess this line of dialogue clarifies Niall's position a bit more:
"Even kings must take responsibility for the consequences of their own actions," Naill said as Brennan opened the door. "Begin now, and it will be that much easier when you are Mujhar."
Still, this seems a bit much. Sleeta also seems oddly annoyed with Brennan. But it's not like the lir have anything useful to say, so there we go.
Anyway, Brennan rides out to Clankeep. But soon, he's not alone:
He was at the border dividing meadowlands from forest when Rhiannon caught up to him. After the first short gallop across the plains to work out frustrations and Bane's bad temper, Brennan had slowed the stallion to a walk. Rhiannon clearly had kept her mount at a run; the bay mare was lathered with sweat.
Hi Rhiannon. I'm not sure how long this is supposed to be after the last chapter. She says that she called after him to wait, but he didn't hear her. Which reminds me of the last chapter. It seems like that kind of thing happens a lot.
He urges her to dismount so they can walk her horse. And well, it looks like they've been continuing with their relationship after all:
"Do you mind?" she asked as he released her. "I wanted to be with you. So often I must spend all my time with Deirdre or the ladies, when I would rather be with you."
He felt a twinge of guilt. It was no secret that Rhiannon shared his bed, yet the Mujhar held his silence, Brennan had no doubt Niall knew, but perhaps he knew also that repeated reminders of Aileen's imminent arrival would merely promote discord.
Yeah, that's probably going to be a problem, dude.
At least Rhiannon KNOWS that, but just because she's okay with the situation now doesn't mean that this is going to last.
He tells her that he's going to Clankeep to try to settle things with Teir. Rhiannon thinks Teir is a fool: Maeve loves him, and if he has sense, he'd try to get Niall's favor so he can marry her.
Ew, Maeve, no. You can do better.
Anyway, Rhiannon's got another reason for coming: they've received news that Aileen's ship has sailed from Erinn.
Ah, yeah. Awkward. Neither Brennan nor Rhiannon have any real illusions about their relationship. He's been pretty open about the engagement the whole time, as we've seen. His is a "cradle-betrothal" meant for political advantage. (Or Niall making up for banging their princess.)
It's sad, of course, but in that respect, as a peasant girl, Rhiannon doesn't really bring anything to the table.
Oh dear.
One hand was splayed across her belly. "Nothing but this child."
Well, this will complicate matters.
Actually, it will in more ways than one:
"Are you certain?"
"Quite certain, my lord." Rhiannon's smile was odd. "Does it please you?"
"How not?" He was astonished that she could ask it. "A child, Rhiannon . . . how could I not be pleased?"
"A bastard, my lord."
"Do you think I care about that? A child is a child."
Rhiannon laughed. "And an Ihlini-Cheysuli child? What do you say-to that?"
His fingers locked in the folds of her woolen mantle.
"Ihlini-"
One cool hand was a shackle on his wrist, clinging, pressing, squeezing, until the flesh began to protest.
"Ihlini," she said distinctly, "Ihlini and Cheysuti. Why else do you think I wanted you?—why I made you want me?"
...
Well, now. This is a reveal almost as good as Strahan's.
It does contradict the segment we have from Rhiannon's point of view early on, which is a pet peeve. Unreliable narrators are one thing, but I don't like when it outright LIES to you. But that said, this is pretty great.
And fucked up:
She was a woman, and weaker than he; angrily Brennan tried to break her grip, twisting sharply; to shock and dismay he found he could not. Because even as he moved, thinking to thrust her violently away, he felt the explosion of pain through the link.
Sleeta was nearly incoherent. Lir—lir—lir—
Even as Brennan tried to twist free again, meaning to run toward the source of Sleeta's anguish, Rhiannon prevented him. With one hand only, fingers spread rigidly against his breastbone, she coolly forced him off the track and against the nearest tree. "Back," she said only, supremely indifferent to his aborted bid for escape.
So Rhiannon slams him into a tree. Sleeta's being subdued by Rhiannon's servants. (We don't get any information about them, but maybe they were part of the group with Jarek.)
...oh, right, Jarek...
"Strahan wants you alive."
"Strahan—" He nearly gaped. "This is Strahan's doing?"
"Strahan's suggestion. My doing." Rhiannon smiled and reached up to caress his face even as he tried to jerk away. "It could have been worse, Brennan. Much worse. Seduction is better than force."
His lips peeled back from his teeth in an instinctive expression of feral disgust. He thought he might be ill.
"Lillith believed I could not do it," Rhiannon said quietly. "She feared I was too young, even by human standards. But then my mother forgets that Ihlini women are born to seduction as Cheysuli are born to the lir."
His muscles spasmed beneath her hand. "Lillith—"
"—is my mother. My jehana, you would say. As Ian is my jehan." Rhiannon laughed softly. "We are cousins, you and I—in addition to being bedmates."
This was still pretty non-consensual, lady. Congratulations, Brennan, you and Ian have something else to talk about.
Also, thank you for having Ian flirt with his own daughter, Roberson. Ick.
Jarek was not Lillith's child, of course. Apparently, the masquerade had been Lillith's idea, as a twisted gift for her rape victim. Rhiannon did like making Brennan think he was a kinslayer as it made him more vulnerable to her.
Also, just in case things haven't gotten retroactively rapey enough:
He manged to laugh, albeit was little more than an impotent bark of sound. "You forget; I am Cheysuli. Your sorcery will not work."
"You forget, my lord—I am Cheysuli also." She smiled.
"Ask why Sleeta did not know me. Ask why I hold you so easily. Look into your mind and find the link I have forged through careful and subtle means, all done in the throes of passion, when you would not notice my intrusion."
And fuck. Kudos to Roberson. She found a way to make her weird story inconsistencies actually make sense. The odd uncharacteristic jealousy, for example, that I thought was clumsiness.
Tangential note, you may have noticed, in Song of Homana, that it took me a while to criticize Carillon's obsession with Electra to the extent I should have. And the reason was that I'd misremembered this plot point as having been between Electra and Carillon instead of Rhiannon and Brennan. I was right about a villainess mentally influencing the hero into obsession with her, but wrong about which one.
So Carillon's not a magical rape victim, Brennan is. Congrats...?
Oh, but here's a funny bit where we see that Roberson actually hasn't done the math:
"No. Not yet. But closer. Closer even than you. Because in the end, it will be the blood of our child—of Ihlini-Cheysuli children—who will hold dominance in Homana. Dominance in the world."
See, here's the funny catch to this. Remember when I did the math for the heredity in Track of the White Wolf?
Brennan, per that calculation, would be: 3/8 Cheysuli, 1/4 Atvian, 1/8 Solindish, 3/16 Homanan, and 1/16 Erinnish.
Rhiannon, as Ian's daughter, would be: 1/2 Ihlini, 5/16 Cheysuli, 5/32 Homanan, and 1/32 Erinnish.
That means that Brennan and Rhiannon's child?
1/4 Ihlini, 11/32 Cheysuli, 1/8 Atvian, 1/16 Solindish, 11/64 Homanan, and 3/64 Erinnish.
That is all the fucking bloodlines. That kid should be a fucking Firstborn.
However, because Roberson forgot that Alix had an Erinnish grandmother, the kid will not be, and we're going to have two more generations of fucked up fantasy genetics to get there. (And it's actually redundant there too, as the son of double first cousins, Kellan basically has the exact same ethnic fraction makeup as Aidan will.
I suppose we could attribute it to the Erinnish amount not being high enough, but honestly, this kid has more Erinnish than Kellan will have Solindish... So...
Eh, well, magic, I guess. But it is kind of funny to think about how the villains would have already won if they could only do math.
So back to Brennan and Rhiannon, who may well be the single most efficient villain this series ever had. Or tied with Lillith at least. Ihlini women get shit done. And by shit, I mean they rape people really really efficiently... Hm...
Probably not something to boast about.
Rhiannon unhooked the silver chain that had replaced the ring's original leather thong. And though he tried to twist his head away, she clasped it around his neck. The chain was ice against his throat.
One last time—
"Brennan." Calmly she interrupted his futile attempt at lir-shape. "I do not love you, but neither do I hate you. What I do, I do to serve my race, as much as you serve yours. We are kin, close kin, and I have no wish to spill your blood; I share more than a measure of it. Ian is in us both." She caught his hands and linked her fingers with his, even against his will. "But we cannot control the Firstborn unless we make our own."
"Ihlini—" He writhed against the tree.
Rhiannon kissed him. And then the world was gone.
And thus, the chapter ends.
--
There is an Interlude though. Quite short.
This is Rhiannon's bit, as she rejoins her mother and uncle. Lillith, for all her faults, actually seems to be a halfway concerned parent.
Lillith smiled. In her daughter she saw herself, and took pride in the girl's loyalty as well as her loveliness.
"How soon will the child be born?"
"Seven months. Brennan was—most accommodating."
"And you?"
"I?"
"You are young," Lillith said kindly. "Cheysuli and Ihlini are bloodkin, born of the same gods, and meant to be together. It is understandable if this was—difficult, There is no shame in wishing it could be another way."
Well, for a scary rapist wizard, I guess. She and Rhiannon bond a bit on what it's like to rape Cheysuli men.
Rhiannon lifted her delicate chin. "Was it difficult for you, when you seduced my father? Was it hard to break that immense Cheysuli pride?"
"Ian's pride was never broken," Liltith answered. "He may have thought so, but it was lirlessness he felt, nothing more." She paused. "When you speak of breaking pride, remember that what is theirs is also ours."
"They will never accept it," Rhiannon said. "Never will they accept us as anything more than enemies."
"Good," Strahan said coolly. "If the day ever comes that an Ihlini and a completed Cheysuli lie down together willingly, the Seker is defeated. The gate will be sealed forever, and the Firstborn shall rule the world. We will no longer exist."
Yeah, I feel like this is meant to be an ass pull justification, but the problem is, Brennan actually IS a "completed Cheysuli" by that definition: Homanan, Solindish, Atvian and Erinnish. So, yeah. That kid is the firstborn. Congratulations, dudes. You just never noticed because no one has an ancestry.com subscription and the ability to add fractions.
So what IS the villain's plan now?
"The prophecy is a true one, Rhiannon, The Cheysuli weave it like a tapestry, and the pattern is nearly completed. But we can still alter it. We can tear away the brightest yarns, as we have torn away Brennan, and use them to fashion another."
which means...
"What will you do to him?" Rhiannon asked.
"Break him," Strahan answered. "Then mend him most carefully."
"How?" she asked intently.
Strahan's eyes narrowed. "Have you a suggestion?"
Rhiannon's laughter echoed amidst the columns and set the glassy strings to thrumming. "Lock him away," she said. "Lock him away in a small stone place . . . with no light, no lir, and no hope at all for escape."
Oof. Well. Let's find out what the other boys are up to?